Linstead: Never Give Up
by chicagopdbabes
Summary: A short story where Erin and Jay attempt to add to their family despite the obstacles live gives them.


**Hey readers! I'm back, attempting to write again, and slowly updating my books. But, I wanted to try a new one. I don't think any other authors have had a story where Erin is a mom and focuses on being a mom and raising teenagers. So, I hope you like it. Let me know!**

Seven years. They'd work together for eleven. Members came and left, but not them. A night after one of the most heinous crimes they had to investigate nine years ago, ended up a late night at Molly's, turned into the start of their happily ever after, or so they thought.

"Chicago PD, hands up!" It was another routine building search, same old story. There was an offender wanted for calling hits on Chicago City Council members and succeeding to three members before Intelligence intervened on his plot. The team fanned out as usual. The seven man team was the same for the past five years, the newest member being Hailey Upton. She stepped in once Al retired, and now the unit consisted of Voight, Dawson, Ruzek, Burgess, Halstead, Lindsay, and Atwater. The routine partners cleared the building and all began heading back to the entrance of the warehouse, their guards down.

Somewhere along the way, Halstead and Lindsay split up. She heard a rattle, that easily could have passed as a raccoon. She decided to check it out, her guard back up. Turning the corner, gun in her holster, ready just to shriek at the sight of a creature. Instead, she was met with a clobber to the abdomen, the end of a gun. "Jay!"Shrieking in pain, she falls to the ground, using her forearms to shield her face from the end of the barrel.

Her radio feet away, she was bound to fight for her own life as she met her offender. Her back felt stiff against the metal of the ground as she rolled around, avoiding the end of the weapon that was attempting to end her life. Her body went rigid as she heard a thud, and the attempted stabbing stopped. She slowly raised her arms over her face to see her partner wrestling on the ground with the man who tried to hurt her.

"Linds, you good?" She felt her body lifted onto the ground level, by two hands, feeling her feet again as Kevin patted her on the back, as Jay stood the perp up in handcuffs passing him to Dawson.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I'll meet you back at the district." She replied shaking her head, dusting her jeans off. She reached for her radio that had been kicked out of her reach in the small encounter she had.

"You're not going back, go home. You can finish the paperwork tomorrow." She didn't dare to argue with the gravely voice that was present behind her. He knew what today was. She shrugged her shoulders, not attempting to argue with her pseudo father. Only wanting to go home and snuggle up in her husband's embrace. She nodded, saying her farewells to everyone, everyone but her partner who must have already left with Dawson to book the man wanted for a triple homicide and now assault to a police officer.

As she drove off, she called the person whom she revolved her life around- Voicemail. "Brennan, it's me. I just left a bust, and I'm on my way home. Call me back if I'm not home already and I'll pick up some food at the store. Love you." It'd been a long day, a day that had so much meaning to it, ruined by the perp who tried to assault her. And adding a murderer to list. A day that was suppose to be one of the happiest days of her life, but shattered. A date that'd never be the same. Now all she wanted was to relax at home, and have a drink. Erin closed the garage door behind her, and kicked her shoes off at the door, sighing as she heard her pup's paws against the hardwood floor. "Hi, Max! Do you need to go out?" She opened the screen door leading to the patio, closing the screen part, letting the early September heat radiate through the house, even though she could feel the air through the vents.

Erin walked up the wooden stairs of her house, knocking on the first bedroom door before opening it, "Brennan, why didn't you answer my call?"

The teen looked up from his video game, taking his headset off, letting it hang around his neck. "Sorry mom, I was in the middle of a round of Fortnite with the guys." He shrugged, setting down his controller and looking up at her. "How was work?" His eyes examined his mom carefully, stopping on the lower part of her abdomen where her shirt was scrunched up as she stretched her arms above her head to release the tension and stress from the long day. "Mom, what happened? You're bruising." He stood up, rushing to her aid. "Do you need an ice pack?"

"Brennan, it's fine. Some perp thought he could take this badass down. I'm fine. And do _not_ mention this to your father, understood?" She covered the mark, hugging her teen, embracing his presence.

"Where is he anyways? Wasn't he suppose to have your back? I bet grandpa got pissed." He sat back down at his desk, reclining in his chair.

"He's finishing up at the district. And you know how it works, we thought the building was clear but it wasn't. I'm fine though, and I have no idea what grandpa thinks. He told me to come home, so he's fine," She looked around, noticing the laptop on the bed. "Is Piper here?" She nodded towards the laptop. "You know how I feel about her being over here when there's no adults, Brennan."

"Relax, she's hanging with Reign in the basement. Have some trust in me, mom. I'm sixteen." He sighed, putting his headset on halfway as he begun another round of his game that stole her and her husband's heart.

"Brennan, kids these days are having sex left and right, I don't need to become a grandma when I'm thirty two." She knew how teenagers were, she was one once.

"Mom, while Reign is here? Really? Give me some credit. We'd be sneakier than that. But besides the point, she just came over to hang with Reign. You know how much she loves Piper," He paused, choosing his next lines carefully. "And even though I'm adopted, I still look like you and dad, you must admit. The kids would be cute."

Erin rolled her eyes. "We can have this discussion in ten years. Did you eat dinner?" He nodded in response. "Okay. If you need anything, I'll be in downstairs." She closed the door, heading back down to the basement, finding her youngest playing on the Wii with Piper. "Hi sweetheart!" She gushed, kneeling down as her daughter dropped the remote onto the carpeted floor and ran into her arms.

"Hi mommy!" She sung, looking over to where Piper paused the game. "Look who came over to play with me!" She pointed over to Piper.

"Hi Piper," She replied, greeting her son's girlfriend. "Have you two ate?"

"Yes! They got me pizza mom! We made it from scratch! Where's dad?" The seven year old looked around the basement, used to her mom and dad coming home together. "Is he okay?"

"Yes, Reign, he's okay. He is just finishing up with some paperwork on someone who tried to hurt me." Having kids was difficult, but one thing she knew was she had to be upfront with them. It embedded trust in times they needed trust most. She learned that from Hank and Camille. He didn't lie to her or Justin when he had a tough case. It allowed for Erin to grow closer to him, and she understood better when he would act clingy or be upset on the given nights.

"Someone tried to hurt you? Why wasn't dad there? Are you okay?" She asked overlooking her mother's appearance.

"Yes, he just hit me in the stomach, but it doesn't even hurt! Your dad was working with Uncle Kevin, but he tackled him and saved me," She gushed, thinking back to how protective her husband was of her. Reign was definitely an empathetic child. She was very closed off on the outside, like her mother, being very independent and confident. She never allowed anyone to get to her. But on the inside she cared about everyone, and had a love for knowing everything that was going on. Erin lifted up the bottom of her shirt, showing her the bruise that began to form. "See, there's no blood. It's just like when Brennan gets hurt at soccer practice, it'll go away in a few days."

"Okay. Can Piper stay over?" Reign was obsessed with Piper. Brennan and Piper had been dating for two years, but knew each other longer, considering her parents Gaby and Matt Casey's oldest. They were very lenient in what they allowed them to do, until recently. But, the kids didn't know about that. They were going to see if the kids caught on or not.

"Will your parents mind?" Erin reluctantly asked. Piper shook her head, texting her parents right away in response. "I'm going to plan they say yes. If they do, you know the rules. Follow them. I'll be upstairs." Erin kisses her daughter and walked up the stairs, closing the door behind her to keep the eliciting giggles quiet.

She went to her bedroom, and changed into a fresh set of clothes, consisting of a pair of leggings and a tank top. She threw her badge onto her nightstand and locked her gun in the safe. She shook her head at another crazy day in the books. This was her life. She needed a break. Erin sauntered back to the kitchen, popped a beer bottle, which she didn't do often since she could easily get hooked onto it and went out to the patio to accompany the family dog, and took a seat on the patio chair. She turned on the Cubs game, letting it play softly in the background as she looked around her, taking in the stars and the light city glow.

Erin didn't know how long she was sitting there for, but she must've dozed off. Her husband's voice brought her back to reality, allowing her to glance her drift back to the tv. She was asleep for two innings, a little over an hour. "Hey," She murmured softly. "How was it?"

He took a seat next to her, swigging his own beer, looking at her. "He's booked. How are you feeling? You took a nasty fall. Any marks or bruises?" He grasped her hand, rubbing his thumb over the inside of her palm.

"Jay, I'm fine. I promise." She replied as she shifted to the chair Jay was in, taking a seat in his lap as she wedged herself into the crook of his neck.

"Baby, our seven year old has a big mouth. She likes us both to know everything that we tell her. She told me about your bruise on your abdomen. Can I see?" She nodded hesitantly, allowing her husband to lift her shirt up and look at the bruise through the light that the patio lights provided. "You took a rough hit, love. What can I do to make it feel better?" He touched the mark softly, and watched as Erin flinched at the tender touch.

"I told Reign not to tell you," She mumbled, sinking deeper into his embrace as he cradled her against him. "We never catch a break."

"Er, she just said something because she cares for you. You're her version of Super Woman. That's a good thing. Who would've thought that a decade ago I'd met the woman of my dreams, the woman who I'd share my children with, and achieve all my dreams with. Think about it. We created a beautiful human being. She's turned into the most amazing human yet. She so empathetic, and so badass like her momma."

"Jay, you know what today is, right?" She asked coldly, feeling her eyes start to water.

"How could I forget?" He replied, kissing the top of her head. "It's a day we'll never forget. Either of us." He shook his head, holding his wife tightly as his mind went back to the dark times that were present a year ago.

"We didn't even get to meet him. I don't understand, we were doing everything right. We did the weekly checkups, I went on desk duty, we watched what I ate and drank, we did everything right. We heard the heartbeat. We had a name picked out for him. Then a year ago today, we finished the nursery for him. And that same night," She muffled her cries into his T-shirt as she gasped for breathe reliving the worst day of her life. "I woke up, twenty four weeks pregnant. I was almost six months along, and blood was everywhere. Only five percent of woman have a miscarriage that far along. Why was it us?"

Jay held her tightly. He prayed this day would go by smoothly as possible for them. But it didn't. She was drinking her sorrows away. And he wanted to do the same. But one of them had to be strong. Thy had two children right inside who needed them. They couldn't fall down and be irresponsible. That was them when it first hit this time last year, when the news broke. They didn't go to work for a week. They didn't leave the house for a week. Hank and Camille took the kids for the week. Reign didn't understand, but Brennan did. He was quiet on the subject. He didn't understand the pain they were going through. He had to stay strong for his parents, to tell his little sister they were going on a business trip out of town. But in reality, they were sitting in bed crying for a week, holding each other as they took turns sobbing. They lost a child they'd created through an act of love and intimacy. They were ready to bring their third child into the world. But it all disappeared.

"Erin, we did nothing wrong. We did everything right. It's nobody's fault, okay? Maybe this time last year wasn't our time, but maybe now it is?" He hinted at what they discussed the past few months. They were both ready to start trying again. He wanted to try again. He wanted to add onto his family he created with his love.

"Is that your way of saying you're ready" She smiled softly, looking into his eyes as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Yes. I think it's time we try again. We can't let this stop us, baby. I love you, and I want to make love to you so we can bring in another child to the world." He ran his fingers through her tousled hair, passionately sealing their lips together. She moaned into the kiss, and he quickly picked her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, their lips never parting as he closed the screen door and carried her to their room they shared as husband and wife. He tossed her onto the bed and locked the door behind him so no nosey little seven year old could walk in without knocking.

He unbuckled his jeans as he shimmied them down his legs, and climbed on top of his beautiful wife. He grazed her cheek with his hand, kissing her deeply while his other hand worked on peeling the leggings she wore off her mile long legs that were soft and sensual. He whispered sweet words of love into her ear and she moaned at them in response. She reached for her own shirt, lifting it and her bra over her head with assistance from Jay. He lowered his mouth to one of her tight breasts, sucking one into her mouth as his hand kneaded the other one, making her writhe on the bed sheets. "I love you so much, Erin. You're everything I've ever wanted."

Erin thought she could have cried at his sweet words and the way he looked down at her was so pure and loving, she'd never get tired of that look. Of the way he makes her feel. He makes her feel loved in every way. She didn't want to wait any longer. Their breathing was heavy as she slid off his boxers and aligned his member up to her entrance. With one thrust, he filled her completely, stretching her walls out like he usually did. After the nine years they were together, she never will get use to how big he is, and how much he stretches her. His thrusts at first are deliberate and slow, wanting to make sure she knew she was loved. He smothered their lips together, pausing their kisses momentarily to declare his love for her. Soon the intimacy was replaced by desire, then lust.

He held her hips against the mattress as he picked up his pace and she raised her hips to meet him, their moans fueling one another. "Jay!" She cried out on a particularly deep thrust. He felt her getting close, he was getting more turned on by the minute. He was sliding his member in and out of her tight cavern so easily, she was so wet.

"Are you close, sweetheart?" He asked as he brushed a piece of her hair out of her face. The moment when she decided to respond Jay slammed into her and she let out a loud moan in response, telling him she was on the teetering edge. "Er, look at me?" He shifted her face to look at him. "Look at me," He murmured to her as he flicked her sensitive nub, and felt her walls contract around him and milk him dry. Her hips frantically sped up, meeting his pace as she cried out loudly and he smothered her lips with kisses so the kids wouldn't hear the wicked things their parents were doing in the bedroom.

He thrusted one last time before pulsing inside of her, and staying still as he bit down on her shoulder- hard. He rode out the final waves of his orgasm and dropped his forehead to hers, cradling her body softly. "I love you, Erin."

"I love you too," She replied, turning so her head was laying on his chest. "You know, since we are trying again, that calls for a lot of sex in a lot of places." She raised her eyebrow, looking at her husband's facial reactions.

"I'll do whatever you want. We're in this together. I promise it'll all be ok.


End file.
